Ellen Block is running to represent District 5 in the Onondaga County Legislature. She is currently a freshman legislator. Her opponent is Republican Daniel Ciciarelli. Block is running on the Democrat and Working Families Party line. 

Central Current sent Denton 11 questions about housing, immigration, data centers, agriculture, and more. Here are her responses. 

Central Current: With Micron moving in, politicians from every part of the political spectrum have emphasized the importance of building more housing. What is your vision for increasing housing in Onondaga County, and what role (if any) should the county play in doing so?

Ellen Block: I’m very proud of the 2027 Budget including so much funding for housing growth. I look forward to supporting growth for people just starting out as homeowners, or those who are working with a budget. Mixed use models will be great for some of Salina’s corridors with commerce, and collaborating with county and town partners to build the needed housing will be a top priority.

CC: Transparency has been a major talking point in the legislature this year – from donor transparency around the aquarium to concerns that each caucus brings things to the floor without giving the other advance notice. Where would you like to see more transparency in county government, and what can the legislature do to enforce it? 

EB: I think transparency is a value we all hold as legislators. I have been able to foster some relationships with our friends across the aisle and work on legislation that addresses common goals.

Asking questions about how we got to funds we are voting on or why something was done a certain way should always be included in conversations. Furthermore, we as a caucus have reinvigorated and created boards that include people from the communities they represent and these have all been received positively. People want to be engaged in the decision-making process, and doing this leads to more transparency and accountability. I know our caucus will continue to include the public as much as possible in their processes.

CC: As thousands of Onondaga County refugees and residents lose their access to SNAP benefits, what should the county’s role be in ensuring access to food? 

EB: The Federal cuts to SNAP are unnecessary and harmful. It creates difficulty when someone is waiting on a disability ruling or has limited work experience. The county was able to allocate funds to support our local food pantries and I am hopeful that this will create opportunities for acquisition of cold food storage or expansion as the need for their services increases.

CC: Roughly one-third of Onondaga County’s land is used for agriculture. What, if anything, can the county do to support farmers, farmworkers, and other people involved in agriculture in the county?

EB: I’ve been proud to support farmers and increasing supply in the food chain this last year. We are hopeful that the governor will sign the Good Food NY bill that we addressed in a resolution, and that it will help smaller farms enter into the bulk food system while also increasing supply to the residents of Onondaga County. Continued advocacy from all the counties that have expressed support will hopefully get this across the finish line.

CC: As Micron prepares to move into Onondaga County, some county residents have raised concerns about PFAS and other emissions. How do you plan to mitigate the environmental concerns of county residents? 

EB: I’ve been hearing a lot about these concerns at the doors lately. We have held a public hearing regarding PFAS and environmental concerns and the Environmental Committee plans to engage the public more as it explores solutions. We need to keep asking questions. I am glad the County Executive has stated he is willing to designate $1 million to research on how to treat PFAS chemicals, and we can hold him accountable to that statement.

CC: Could the county be doing anything more to mitigate and combat its lead problem? If so, what? 

EB: Lead is an ongoing concern and an intergovernmental effort to address it is underway. We have many programs locally that aim to tackle some of the issues, like the Lead Freedom House and free water filter distribution. We have to foster these programs and support more contractors becoming trained in lead testing and abatement.

CC: Over the last two years, USCIS has rolled back protected status for many groups of immigrants and has begun to target people for detainment who might not have been targeted in the past (i.e.: asylum seekers). Do you believe the county needs to do anything more to protect its large immigrant and refugee populations? If so, what? 

EB: We continue to communicate with individuals in the community who are familiar with current targets and tactics so that we can explore ways we can be most helpful to those communities. This is a difficult topic to identify any direct approach, because local government cannot supersede federal government. One thing that has been discussed, and that we have done, is to publicly stand with targeted communities. We may not be able to pass viable action, but we can remind people of their rights and express our dissatisfaction with the approaches being taken at the federal level. 

CC: What – if any – role should AI have in county operations? Should the county develop rules and policies to regulate its use?

EB: I am hesitant to use AI myself, but it’s here and I think we have to make it useful. I don’t want it to take jobs away from people. If we figure out how to incorporate it into jobs held by people, and also ensure that privacy is completely protected through county policy, I can see how it would be beneficial.

CC: County Executive Ryan McMahon has announced a plan to study the feasibility and potential impacts of building a data center in Onondaga County. What would be the ideal outcome of that study? Depending on the outcome, how do you plan to respond? 

EB: I think the ideal situation would first be a comprehensive review of data center impact. We need to be sure we are doing the right thing for our municipalities and our county. If a data center were to be built, I would want to know how are we making up for the energy use and ensuring it isn’t drawing on our water supply. If we decide to go ahead with one, I’d want to make sure unionized workers get the contracts to build the site and provide the maintenance and other needed services.

CC: Syracuse consistently has one of the highest rates of childhood poverty in the nation. Do you believe the county should be doing anything more than it is currently to address childhood poverty? If so, what?

EB: Funding administered by the county for many social service programs that aim to help children and families is in alignment with federal and state regulations. We have aimed to make these programs more efficient by allocating funds for a food security program coordinator to help with the loss of SNAP benefits and providing assistance for our local food pantries. Other initiatives such as the ONHOME corporation aim to help address housing insecurity by increasing accessibility and supply in the local market.

CC: What county issues and concerns have an outsize impact in your district specifically? How do you plan to address those concerns and bring them to the forefront of the legislative agenda?

EB: Affordability, safety and housing are important to my constituents, as is infrastructure such as roads and garbage pickup. I am open for discussion about these issues at any time and plan to hold more listening sessions in my district to work collaboratively to solve these issues. These are already in alignment with legislative and town goals so continuing to bring the conversation upwards happens regularly.

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Laura Robertson is a staff reporter covering Onondaga County. Prior to joining Central Current, she lived on the edge of the Bering Strait in Nome, Alaska, where she worked as a reporter for a year. She...